The Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition Plan for Planning

The Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition Plan
for
Planning

comment:    A few paragraphs from this document are added below.   

I suggest ALL land owners in and around Coldstream to read this document as it has major changes from the Labour Party way for the past decade.  Is "Melbourne 2030" dead?  How about "Melbourne@5million"?  Read about the new sub division size!

Read about peri-urban areas!

The Liberal Nationals Coalition will follow an inclusive approach to achieve urban renewal and believes urban change can occur while respecting existing height controls in existing planning schemes. This will also take the pressure for high-density housing off many suburbs.

The Liberal Nationals Coalition reaffirms that communities, via their local council, should maintain their role as a decision-maker over planning decisions within their municipality.

The Liberal Nationals Coalition acknowledges that many metropolitan and regional councils’ planning departments, and councillors themselves, are currently stretched for resources and require direct assistance from the state government.

A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:
Establish localised planning statements for a number of key areas around Victoria.
These new Statements of Planning Policy will apply to:
The Mornington Peninsula;
o
The Yarra Valley;

Seek to have the UGB in growth areas identified along existing and clearly defined natural markers or infrastructure routes where possible, so that it will come to form a defined permanent boundary as exists in European cities; and

Allow local residents in growth areas boundary inclusion areas to be a part of the UGB review where they can choose to opt out of boundary expansion.

 Abolish Labor’s bureaucratic Growth Areas Authority and the wasteful Development Facilitation Unit to create a new Urban Planning Unit (UPU) that is committed to managing population growth, improving operational and regulatory processes and identifying areas of planning delay in local and state government.

The UPU will be dedicated to:
o
Managing population growth across the metropolitan area through the development of new communities and the reinvigoration of existing communities;

Under a Liberal Nationals Coalition Government local councils will be given the flexibility to review the operation of their farm zones and in particular whether the 40-hectare minimum subdivision rule is appropriate across all non-township areas of their municipality.

Increase flexibility and housing choice on the outskirts of our cities and towns – particularly regional cities – by introducing a new Urban Interface Zone (UIZ).

The new UIZ will allow for housing on a minimum lot size of 2 hectares and will be determined by local government.

Further, the Liberal Nationals Coalition reaffirms its strong support for immigration to Victoria as a key component of our state population growth.

VCAT
A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Legislate to limit access to VCAT for the review of determinations for projects which are deemed to comply substantially with the relevant Municipal Strategic Statement (MSS);

Require councils to advise a council view on the degree of MSS compliance, with their determinations;

Provide for VCAT to determine whether an application for review qualifies on the grounds of substantial compliance; and

Publish clear and transparent guidelines on the determination of substantial compliance.
The Liberal Nationals Coalition wants to ensure that VCAT is used for its original purpose – as an independent arbiter, not a de facto responsible authority.
While much of this will depend on the establishment of a new metropolitan planning scheme for Melbourne, the operation of VCAT can be improved.